Identification of chemical constituents in vitro and in vivo of Er Shen Zhenwu Decoction by utilizing ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Er Shen Zhenwu Decoction is a prescription for treating chronic heart failure of heart and kidney yang deficiency, while its active ingredients remain unclear and difficult to identify. This paper aims to apply a rapid assay strategy of ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry to collect the mass spectrometry data of Er Shen Zhenwu Decoction and its decomposed recipes (monarch, minister, and assist). By comparing with retention time and MSE fragmentation patterns, 67 and 34 components in vitro and in vivo were identified, respectively, the main ingredients include saponins, terpenes, alkaloids, phenolic acids, tanshinone, urea, steroids, aromatics, organic acids, carbohydrates, and so forth, of which the monarch medicine > minister medicine > assist medicine. By comparison with reference standards, paeoniflorin, rosmarinic acid, ginsenoside Rg1, ginsenoside Re, ginsenoside Rb1 and atractylenolide III were identified in vitro and paeoniflorin, ginsenoside Rg1, ginsenoside Re and ginsenoside Rb1 were identified in vivo. In this study, the chemical ingredients of Er Shen Zhenwu Decoction were analyzed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry technology and each compound was grouped into the decomposed recipes. The identified substances can be used as references for Er Shen Zhenwu Decoction quality control and potential medicinal substances in chronic heart failure of heart and kidney yang deficiency treatment.